Hosted in Euroa’s magnificent old flour mill by Northern Republic, the final event of the 2021 Festival of Fungi was a delight for the senses. With Alison Pouliot once again taking the helm, she steered curious fungi enthusiasts through the difficult to navigate field of fungi foraging.
The seminar took the form of experiential stories whereby foraging in Switzerland was contrasted with foraging here locally in terms of finding out what fungi one can eat and some interesting cultural differences. The deadly nature of some fungi was reinforced and Alison warned people of the need for extreme caution in collecting fungi for a meal saying that ‘among the delicious and delightful lurk deadly species that could land you in the grave’.
Importantly the seminar was ecologically framed, reminding people that fungi provide sustenance for countless numbers of animal and plant species and that we need to avoid being in competition with our wildlife and ecosystems. Some of our favourite fungi such as truffles could be problematic as they are the main food for some wallabies. Gently and with humour Alison encouraged those at the lunch to expand their ecological consciousness to encompass the Kingdom of Fungi and to adopt a slow mushrooming approach that did not negatively impinge on the environment.
Thanks to Euroa’s own Northern Republic for hosting the event. Alison Pouliot for yet another entertaining and informative workshop. Bert Lobert and Andi Kofler for the photos. Helen McKernan for the event report on which this summary was based.
Festival of Fungi 
Festival of Fungi 
Want to learn more about the SRCMN and Strathbogie Ranges? Have a look at our past events page.